Resident Evil: Fatal Cross
by Blaze Storm
Summary: CH 7 UP! When Umbrella is attacked by North Cross, how will the war affect the STORM team sent to save Echo city?Or are they destined to die in the cursed place?Updated 22.03.04.accidentally removed original!Please R&R!
1. The beginning

Chapter 1 Part 1 12th July 2005, 11:05am Somewhere in Europe  
  
John Norths ran briskly along the dim, grey corridor. 'Why do I have to tell him?' he thought as he turned a corner and nearly bumped into a technician.  
"Sorry," he murmured, before resuming his run. 'Mr Seiker won't be pleased to hear this news at all,' John continued to think as he brushed a lock of brown hair out of his eyes. 'Why did they have to start now, interrupting my research like this.?' The man slowed down to a walk as he approached a large ornate set of oak doors. A brass plaque was affixed to the left side of the frame. On it read:  
  
Doctor Alexi Seiker BSc Hons  
President of UMBRELLA Inc.  
  
John reached out and put his hand on the door handle and attempted to slow down his breathing before opening the door.  
  
As the door swung open, the strong smell of varnish greeted John's nostrils. He gagged slightly before walking forwards. A large table was placed near the back of the room with several files scattered across it's marble top. Behind the table was a large, black leather chair with the back facing the door. A large fireplace fixed in the wall was emanating heat into the spacious room. John slowly turned and shut the door behind him.  
"What is it, Doctor Norths?" a voice asked from beside the fire, making John jump.  
"Oh, umm, I have two pieces of information for you, Doctor Seiker, sir," John replied, stuttering slightly.  
"Now, now, there's no need to worry Doctor Norths. Come, take a seat," the man finished, indicating to a black office chair.  
"Thank you, sir," John said, before sitting slowly down into the chair.  
"Now, to business. What is this news you have for me. I hope it regards the success of your new B.O.W, because I do not wish to have to scrap another project," Alexi started, waving his arm over several of the folders.  
"Do you mean that all of the other B.O.W's that have been in development are all failures?" John replied  
"Unfortunately, yes," Alexi started. "I was hoping that your prototype would be ready for combat testing within this week, because I'm looking for some success within our projects. Remember that we are now in competition with North Cross."  
"Yes sir, how could I forget."John added.  
"Then give me your report, North's.." John looked at the back of Alexi's chair and took a deep breath.  
"Well sir, the good news is that the 'Desolator mark II' is indeed ready for testing, but the bad news." John cut off.  
"Yes? I don't like to be kept waiting John," Alexi encouraged  
"Sir, the North Cross has brought 76% of our shares, they effectively own us now. They sent a note informing us of there take-over. Their officials arrive here tomorrow," John breathed out as he finished talking.  
"They think they can buy us out just like that, eh? Well, when they arrive here tomorrow, they will have a big surprise waiting for them. Order the staff to evacuate immediately, and tell them to go to the Echo city facility and wait for further instructions," Alexi ordered  
"Sir, can I ask why you are ordering us to abandon the UMBRELLA headquarters?" John inquired.  
"Because, I intend to release all available B.O.W units into the base to wait for the North Cross officials. When they enter the base, they will all be slaughtered,"  
"But sir, that will be considered an act of war!" John put in  
"Not if they think we lost control, it won't. Tell the security teams to stay put and wait here," Alexi continued  
"Then you intend to kill all the guards, just to cover an act of aggression!! Sir, you can't do that!" John shouted.  
"Yes I can, John, and if you continue to argue with me, I'll make you the first test subject for your own B.O.W,"Alexi replied, turning his chair to face the man. John stood and stared at him, unaware that he had knocked his chair over in the rush to get to his feet.  
"Sir, you wouldn't." John stuttered. He had seen what the desolator could do to a solid concrete wall, and feared his own creation more than anything in the world.  
"Yes I would John, now give the order. I'll meet you in Echo City in a day,"Alexi finished, turning his chair to face the fire once again. John continued to stare at the man before turning to leave the room.  
"Oh, and John?"  
"Yes sir?"  
"Don't fail me." John lowered his hand to the door handle.  
"Yes sir." He walked out of the room, the threatening last words of his boss echoing in his head.  
  
As John Norths left his office, Alexi stared deep into the fire, appreciating its warmth and colour. He sighed to himself before turning to the intercom. "Claire, do me a favour, take an early leave. I want you to go to echo city and wait at the laboratory there" He spoke into the black microphone.  
"Of course sir. Can I ask you why?" came a reply in a female voice.  
"The headquarters is shutting down for repairs, i'm moving all personnel to the Echo Base. When everyone is there, I'll give you a pay rise" Alexi finished  
"Thank you sir!! I'll head there straight away!" Came the girls excited reply. Alexi turned away from the intercom and picked up a file off of the table, and began to read it.  
  
"Desolator mark II" He thought aloud, "The newest model in the line of Desolators, it is capable of destroying a 9 inch solid concrete wall with a single punch, and can be programmed to target a single person, or group of people if necessary. However this is yet to be proven due to a lack of testing in the subject. Possible improvements:  
An increased injection of a mix of Progenitor and the new 'Z' virus will force a mutation, creating a faster stronger hunter. However, this mutation will lower the creatures intelligence dramatically" Alexi finished. He stared at the attached picture of the biological monstrosity. It stood 8 ft tall and its arms were as thick as tree trunks. From the back of the creature protruded three long spikes, which curved into the shape of the creatures back. Alexi allowed a cold grin to cross his face as he pictured the death of North Cross' most important officials. " I'll show them not to mess with UMBRELLA! They'll pay for what they have done to my company!!" Alexi said to himself, before letting out a low malicious laugh.  
  
14th July 2005,6.09am  
  
New York, USA  
  
The echoing rings of the telephone jolted Ben from his sleep. He turned and made lazy and inaccurate swings for the receiver of the phone, still half asleep. At last his hand found what it was looking for. He raised the phone to his ear and sat up slowly.  
"Hello?" Ben answered.  
"Good morning captain Blaze," a voice replied, jerking Ben out of his sleep. He didn't recognise the voice, yet it knew his military codename.  
"Can I help you?" he replied.  
"I believe you can. Am I correct in assuming that you are captain of the STORM team?"  
"How do you know about the STORM team? It's supposed to be secret!!" Ben asked, surprised that a stranger knew about his job.  
"I know because you come highly recommended for.special missions, if you know what I mean," the voice continued.  
"Yes, I think I do, but I only work for registered customers, if you know what mean," Ben replied sarcastically.  
"I see. It would appear that you do not trust me, captain. Perhaps you might if you switch on the news," the voice ordered. Ben reached for the TV remote that lay at the bottom of his bed and pressed one of the buttons sleepily. The television set flashed on, displaying a woman wearing a blue jacket with a white T-shirt underneath.  
"Good morning," the woman started. "Today, a horrific accident has occurred in Echo city. At approximately 6am this morning, a large explosion was heard, and all communications was lost with the population, which is currently residing at approximately 1,000,000.When a news helicopter was sent in to investigate, it returned to us horrific images. We go now, live, to that helicopter" As the woman finished, the shot changed from her organised office to a devastated skyline. Plumes of smoke rose in great columns, covering the city in a veil of black, impenetrable smoke. Everywhere the camera turned, all that was visible was destruction. Ben turned his attention back to the phone  
"How..did you know?" He stuttered.  
"That is not important, what is important is the job I'm offering you. I want you to go into Echo city and find out what happened," the man started.  
"Who is employing us, and what is the pay?" Ben inquired.  
"The pay is 8 million dollars. You are being employed by Umbrella due to confidential reasons that I cannot distribute over the phone," the voice continued  
"We'll take the job, but first tell me who you are," Ben questioned  
"My name is Alexi Seiker, I work for Umbrella. So when will you begin the job?" Alexi asked.  
"We'll begin as soon as my team is assembled and I have all the necessary information, Mr Seiker," Ben finished.  
"I will e-mail it to you at your teams' address. I expect results within the week, Goodnight," Alexi finished, hanging up the phone. Ben replaced the receiver, confused by the mysterious call. He wondered about it before picking up the phone and started to dial the necessary numbers to assemble his team.  
  
14th July 2005, 15.12  
  
STORM HQ, somewhere in the Mojave Desert  
  
The hot desert winds beat against the metal walls of the warehouse in which the STORM teams headquarters resided. Inside the building stood the almost legendary team every military personnel knew about. The seven soldiers sat waiting for their captain, confused why the team had been called three weeks after they disbanded.  
"Hello everyone, it's good to see that you all made it here. Good, good," Ben started, walking out from a small room near the back of the warehouse.  
"Ben, why did you call us here?" one of the men asked.  
"Have any of you seen the news lately?" Ben continued.  
"You mean the Echo city incident, right?" the soldier continued.  
"Yes, I do. We have been asked to fly in and see if we can resolve the situation and rescue any survivors. Any questions?" Ben finished. The rest of the squad starred at him, looks of horror and disbelief spread across their faces.  
"You mean you ant us to go INTO that hellhole!?! No way man! That's a death wish!!" a second soldier shouted.  
"Let me finish. This job is dangerous, yes, but the pay is worth it," Ben interrupted.  
"What do you mean?" a woman asked in a calm voice.  
"I mean that when we finish this mission, we'll be rich. Our employer is paying us 8 million dollars to complete our objective. All we gotta do is go in and come back out." Ben replied. The team looked at him, before one of the women stepped forward.  
"I'll come with you," she said.  
"Amy, are you sure?" Ben questioned.  
"Yes, I am," Amy replied  
"Then I'm coming too," a man said, stepping forward.  
"Jason, I wouldn't leave without you my friend," Ben said, smiling as he shook hands with the man.  
"Then we all go, it's the only way this mission will get any where," A second man added, followed by numerous murmurs.  
"Then it's official. The STORM team is back in business!!!" Ben finished, raising his voice to a shout as he announced the decision.  
"Yeah!!". Ben smiled as the rest of the team cheered with him.  
"Joe, when can you get us ready to leave?" Ben started, pointing at one of the younger men.  
"Tomorrow at dawn," came a reply  
"Then it's settled. Everyone, be ready to leave tomorrow at dawn," Ben finished, saluting to the troops, before turning and walking back to his office, smiling. 


	2. The team remembers

Chapter 2  
  
15th July, 00:01  
  
STORM HQ, somewhere in the Mojave Desert  
  
Ben walked slowly over to the gunmetal grey helicopter that would be flying his team into the stricken Echo city. Joe sat at the controls of the 'chopper, reading the dials and pressing random buttons and toggling switches. As Ben approached the side of the vehicle, Joe turned at looked at him.  
"Good morning captain," The man started.  
"Morning Joe. How's the bird looking?" Ben replied  
"A bit dusty, but otherwise she ready to go as soon as the rest of the team gets here," Joe answered.  
"Excellent. I'm gonna check the supplies and load the weapons," Ben finished. He clambered into the back of the helicopter and opened a large steel box. As he eased open the lid, the smell of stale air wafted over him. It had been a long time since the teams last mission, the one where it had gone wrong. He still dreamt of it. The people screaming, monsters slaughtering everyone. And the scattered gunfire that echoed loudly around the empty area. It had happened just 50 miles away from their HQ in the deserted down of Couwenbatos. Although the pay was small, the team had taken the job out of pity and curiosity. A man had phoned them, babbling about Umbrella destroying their town, and how they were out to get him. Ben had called the team together and they left minutes after the call. But when they had arrived on the scene, everyone regretted their decision. The place was over-run by monsters, ones that reminded him of the zombies you'd see in horror films. The entire area had turned into a blood bath, and the population had turned into an army of the living dead, looking for fresh meat to feast upon. The chaos that had ensued was a blur. The team started firing, and then scattered. They all ran, everyone except him and 'Angel', his vice captain. They stood and fought of the creatures, but were too heavily outnumbered.  
As the two of them backed up against a wall, more of the creatures had broken through a door to Angels left. They were on top of her before Ben could do anything. As they reached forward to rip at her flesh, she had shouted for him to run. He looked at her before turning and fleeing from the scene, her voice echoing in his mind. As he met up with the rest of the team on the outskirts of the town, he had heard a lot of commotion, an explosion and then silence. He had stood and wept there, unable to accept his loss. When he managed to walk back to the base, he had announced the teams' first casualty, and after that, he had simply fallen apart. 2 days after that incident, the government, with much regret, disbanded the team and they fell into the tales of history.  
Ben blinked back the tears in his eyes and looked down into the steel box. A line of rifles lay at its base, each covered with a thin layer of dust. He reached down and picked up a damaged one. On the side of it, the name 'Angel' was inscribed. He had returned to the site and found her rifle among some rubble, the clip still half loaded .It took him 2 weeks to recover from what had happened, and her memory still stayed with him. He stopped caring for the world, until he got the call from Umbrella, giving him this job. He had taken it out of blind fury, because he suspected Umbrella for causing the Echo city incident. He had thought of Claire, his Angel. "Are you alright captain?" Joe asked, leaning over the back of his pilots' chair. "Pardon? Oh, yeah, I'm fine. I was just remembering," Ben replied. "Okay. The bird is ready to go sir, so whenever you're ready, we'll depart" Joe finished, turning back to the controls of the helicopter. Ben nodded and stepped out of the helicopter, before heading to the locker room. As he opened the wooden door, the smell of dust and mis-use hit him in heavy waves. The locker room had been left shut since the last mission, and the lockers still half open after the rush to collect personal items when the disband order came through. Although one remained locked. Ben walked slowly over to the locker that stood next to his. Written in white writing across the top was 'ANGEL'. Lowering his hand to the handle, he slowly tugged it, the door rattling against the frame. Ben smiled lightly before pulling a key off of the ring that he held in his hand, his fingers a little numb out of shock and remembrance. He gently inserted the key into the lock and turned it calmly, the lock producing a dull click as the slide retracted into the door as he pulled the handle down. Opening the door he saw the personality of his ex-team captain. Pinned to the inside of the door was a picture of Claire with her family when she first made it on to the team. Her parents had been so proud of her, and it showed in their faces. Ben gazed at the picture before turning to look at the lockers contents. Inside was a suit of white bulletproof armour hanging from a hook. Written on the back in fading black, was the word 'ANGEL'. He ran his hand over the shoulder of the armour, before pulling it down and hanging it over his shoulder. The chest piece was his size, so he decided to wear it out of respect to Claire's memory. Looking up, Ben's gaze came to rest upon a varnished, wooden box that lay covered with a sheet of dust. He raised his hand and lifted the item down. As he brushed the layer of dust off of the lid, a line of words written in gold became visible. It brought back memories, because it was a gift that he had given to her for making it onto the team. The name 'Claire 'ANGEL' Storm' was written across the top. Thumbing the catch, Ben slowly opened the box, and remembered the gift. It was a Desert Eagle .50AE, the strongest handgun available. He thought that Claire would have needed a little protection, so Ben gave her one of his own weapons that had served him well during many a mission. She hadn't taken it with her on that mission, but he didn't blame her. She had taken a massive weapons load with her, determined to find out what the man had meant by Umbrella was responsible. If only she could have known what was going to happen. Ben lowered his hand to the metal gun and lifted it gently out of the case. The gun felt familiar in his hands, almost comfortable, as if he had never let it go. The minutes ticked past and the gun grew warm beneath his fingers. Tucking the weapon into his waistband, he shut the locker and turned to the armoury. He walked in and was greeted by the rest of the team collected their equipment. Each person wore his or her own marked armour so that friend could be identified from foe in a gunfight situation, which rarely happened, but as Joe pointed out, it was better to be safe then sorry. Walking over to the gun rack, Ben reached out for his Cobra Storm rifle, a Javelin weapons system and a black backpack. "Captain, are you okay?" Jason asked. "Yeah, I'm fine. Why do you ask?" Ben replied "Well, your carrying Claire's vest so." "So what! Have you ever considered that it could be a mark of rememberance and respect??" Ben shouted back, cutting the man off in mid-speech "I'm.. Sorry sir, I don't know why I said that," Jason stuttered. "It's okay Jase, just don't think anything off it," Ben replied, hanging his head. Jason stared at his captain, searching for some comforting words that never came. He walked forward and put his hand on his shoulder. "Cheer up sir, we all miss her, you're not the only one who still remembers that day," Jason said, his voice full of understanding. Ben sighed. "I know, but I can't help thinking that I could have saved her," "There was nothing you could do, but she went out in a blaze of glory at least," Jason finished. Ben nodded his head. "True, true," he said, walking over to a rack filled with ammunition. Ben pulled down a box assault rifle clips and a crate of Javelin ammo. He turned to walk back to the helicopter. " Captain!! You forgot something!" Ben turned to find the source of the voice. Jason was stood with a box in his hand. He walked forward, and handed it to Ben. He looked inside and saw that it was filled with Desert Eagle clips. Ben looked up and stared the man. Jason smiled at him before walking over to the weapons rack. Ben chuckled, before leaving the room and heading back to the 'chopper. As he walked out to the bird, the light wind that the helicopters blades were producing washing over him. He walked forward and sat on the edge of the helicopter, laying his armful of weapons onto the metal floor of the chopper with a muted clang. He lay his hand on the Cobra Storm rifle and lifted it easily into a ready position. As he gazed down the sight of the gun, he picked up a clip and slipped it into the gun before pulling the hammer back on the gun, cocking the weapon. He lowered the gun and grabbed the Javelin weapons system, and thumbed a switch on the side of the device. Electricity crackled through the weapon as Ben turned the power supply on. He picked up a Javelin dart and slipped it into the barrel and allowed the bolt to charge with electricity before shutting the device down again. He smiled from remembrance before attaching the weapon to his assault rifle. He slung the backpack from off of his shoulder and unzipped the large pocket. He slipped the rifle into the open bag and picked up the box of rifle clips and Javelin darts, counting the number of rounds before throwing them into the bag with the weapon. Ben picked up the white bulletproof armour and held it in front of him. He stared at the chest piece, his mind flooding with thoughts of Claire and what the two of them had been through, how they had survived so many missions, except the one that mattered. He blinked furiously to fight back the tears in his eyes, as he became overwhelmed with emotion once again. He unclipped the side buckles and pulled the armour over his head, before re- attaching the clips and tightening them. He pulled the Desert Eagle out from the waistband of his trousers and reached for a clip for the gun. He picked one up and counted the rounds in the magazine. "Eight shots, they still haven't made the clips any bigger," Ben thought. He shrugged and slammed it into the butt of the gun and pulled the slide back, chambering a round in the weapon. He stared at the silver gun for a little while before slipping it into the holster that was built into the side of the bulletproof vest. As he did, his hand brushed against a piece of paper that was stuck to the inside of the vest. He felt the back of it, and gently pulled it out. It was a picture of Claire with the rest of the team, a week after she passed the test. He stared at the shot, at the sight of the entire team assembled and ready for action. It was quite a sight, all eight of them standing together, armed. They looked..powerful. As he continued to stare at the picture, the rest of the squad burst onto the helipad, talking to each other as they walked towards the bird. Ben looked at them before turning to Joe. "Joe, start her up!" He ordered. "Yes sir!" Joe replied, picking up a black helmet and putting it on his head. He flicked a switch and the helicopter engine hummed into life, the gentle wind produced by the blades turning into a strong breeze. The group of people clambered into the back of the 'chopper and took up their seats, Jason slid the side door shut and turned to Joe. "Take her up buddy!!" He shouted. "You got it! Hold on tight everyone!" Joe finished. He turned the engines on full and the Helicopter slowly lifted itself off the floor and Joe directed it for Echo city, carrying the STORM team to what would turn out to be their worst nightmare.. 


	3. The Nightmare begins

Chapter 3  
  
15th July 00:32 Skies near Echo city  
  
The dull roar of the helicopter engines drowned out the loading of the teams' guns. Ben looked around at each of his team members as they prepared themselves for the forthcoming mission. Trying to remember each person's profile, he mentally recalled each soldier's persona. He gazed firstly at Jason.  
"Jason South, AKA 'HAWK', specialises in explosives." As Ben stared at the man, he took into account his appearances. Jason had let his hair grow, and it sat atop his head, matted and small strands of black hair protruded at every angle. Short stubble adorned the mans face, giving him an unkempt look. Jason was loading his rifle, a Knight's SR-16 carbine. As he slipped the clip into the weapon, Jason shot a glance at Ben, smiled, and then turned his attention back to his weapon. Strapped to the mans' side was a small pouch, loaded with T-class explosives. His favourite type to blow things up with, and they made quite a show when they did.  
"Amy Smith, AKA 'Quiksilver', specialises in field scouting." Ben thought as he looked at a woman that sat opposite him. Her long, blonde hair hung in a ponytail that reached to the middle of her back. She rested an APS-2 Sporter Mk2 in her lap and was slipping rounds into the base of the gun. Although she was a woman, she was one of the best shots he'd ever seen; she could nail a target from 1000 feet away. She brought the rifle to bear and stared down the sight of the gun, twisting a small dial slightly to realign the scope. Ben smiled slightly as she cocked a round into the weapon and slid the hammer back into its original position and lowered the weapon.  
"Alfie Weston, AKA 'Death', specialises in Automatic weapons," Ben continued as he turned his head around the helicopter. The mans' hair was short, like the military issue ones. His service in the SEAL's showed. After the team had disbanded, he had returned to the military life. Now Alfie sat before him holding a Fabric Nation P90, small scratch lines were etched into the side of the guns stock. He held a rack of bullets in his hand, pilled with assault rifle bullets. Running his thumb over the clip, he pulled back the slide inside the gun and slammed the magazine in the weapon before releasing the slide.  
"Nikki Overnorth, AKA 'FLASH', Team Medic," Ben thought as he looked at the Woman handing out small belt pouches with First Aid kits in. She was the youngest member of the team, being only 19, but no one criticised her of this. She had proven herself in so many past situations that her skill made up for her lack of age. Her short, chestnut brown hair was held out of her face by a blue hair band with the STORM insignia imprinted on the middle of the plastic. She had learnt everything she knew from the best medic he'd ever heard of, Rebecca Chambers, who was only 2 years older than Nikki, but was famous for surviving the Raccoon city incident three years ago, along with the S.T.A.R.S. team.  
"Christina Steele, AKA 'THUNDER', Team Sniper," Ben reflected, looking deeply into the woman's Emerald green eyes. She sat with a blue PSG- 1 in her lap and a clip in her hand. She was slowly slipping rounds into the magazine with her thumb, counting quietly under her breath. She was also the only person who could better Amy at sniping. She could nail targets at 1200 feet, and he'd never seen her miss a single shot. Her Brown hair sat under a blue beret that was perched atop her head, the STORM team insignia emblazed upon the fabric. She lifted the full magazine and slipped it into the rifle before throwing it over her shoulder into her back holster. As she did this she pulled out her sidearm, a silver MK23 Socom pistol with scope and torch attached to a rack on the base of the weapon.  
"Joey Tribiali, AKA 'SPEED', Team pilot," Ben finished, looking at the final member of his team. Joe sat at the helicopters controls, expertly flipping switches and reading dials. He was the most reliable pilots he had ever known, and had got Ben and the rest of the team out of many a tight spot, and was a great shot with a rifle as well. "The perfect pilot." Ben thought.  
"Captain, we'll have a visual in 2 minutes!!" Joe called back  
"Gotcha," Ben replied, rising to his feet and walking into the cockpit. He picked up a headset and sank into a chair beside the pilot.  
"Sir, just a thought. What should I do during the mission?" Joe asked Ben  
"Keep in radio contact. I want you to find a safe place to land the 'chopper and wait for the evac order, just in case we need to make a quick get away," Ben replied.  
"Okay captain. Uhh, ETA 30 seconds!" Joe added, looking at a clock on the copters headset. Ben turned to face the rest of his troops.  
"Okay team, I want this mission to be like any other, quick and with no friendly casualties. We should be getting a visual at any second now so I want you all to survey the scene and take into account any places or points you consider important or of relevance," He said  
"Look captain!!" Amy shouted, pointing out of the helicopters side window. Ben turned to look, and was greeted by a horrific site.  
  
Almost the entire city was ablaze, the smoke rising in dark, black plumes, cloaking the city in a veil of death. Buildings had collapsed, cars were burning and the city stank of the dead. Ben turned to his team.  
"Alright everyone, stay focused. I want us to split up. Amy, you and me will drop off this side of the city, Joe, I want you to take the others to the opposite end of the city. We work our way in and meet at a designated point, so we all stay in radio contact at all times," Ben started looking around at his team. They all looked nervous, but he couldn't blame them. The sight of an entire city burning was very disturbing to say the very least, but he could not let his team become distracted. That was when people made fatal mistakes. Amy rose to her feet and stood next to him, her rifle in her trembling hands. He put his hand on her shoulder gently.  
"It's ok, stay calm. We're gonna make it through this, just stay close to me. I won't let anything happen to you," Ben said, trying to comfort her. Amy stared at him with her warm, blue eyes. He could almost see the fear that she hid within herself. He had never seen her so afraid of something that shouldn't bother a well-trained mind.  
"Training? What's training got to do with anything?" Ben thought. "When you stare death in the face, all you need is bravery and. Nothing. It all comes down to bravery, something you can't be taught." Amy looked down at her weapon, her gaze resting upon the polished, wooden handle. Ben turned and picked up two bundles of ropes, and handed one to Amy.  
"Come on, let's do this and get the mission finished as soon as possible, with no casualties, okay?" Ben started  
"Yes sir," Amy started, holding her hand out and taking the rope. "This is for you, Claire." Amy trailed off as she attached the rope to her waist, a look of newfound courage and determination on her face. Ben smiled at her before tying the rope to his belt and pulling it tight.  
"Joe, lower us down here, were gonna make the drop in this park. The rest of you, find a suitable place and radio us when you land. Amy, you ready?" Ben finished, turning to look at the woman stood next to him. She nodded slightly before giving her rope a few sharp tugs.  
"See you lot soon!" Ben said as he turned and opened the door.  
"Yes sir!!" The rest of the team replied. Ben smiled and jumped out of the helicopter, lowering himself down on the rappelling rope. He hit the floor, followed closely by Amy. Ben pulled out a knife and cut away the rope before throwing the weapon to Amy, who also cut away her rope. Ben looked up at the helicopter and waved it away. The metal vehicle hovered higher, before disappearing into the black sky. Ben reached down and pulled out his Desert Eagle and signalled for Amy to run through the park with him. He brought the weapon to bear and slowly jogged the length of the burnt field.  
"It's quiet, too quiet. Where are the people who made this mess?" Ben thought. He reached a padlocked gate and slowed to a stop. Ben reached out and gave the rusted gate a hard rattle, the hinges squealing in protest.  
"Damn. Amy stand back," Ben said. Amy took two steps back and raised her rifle to eye level.  
"Ready," She said to Ben. He nodded and pointed the gun at the lock and pulled the trigger. The round echoed through the area as it ripped its way through the metal of the padlock, sending it flying away from the gate. Ben reached down and gave the metal gate a sharp tug, wrenching it away from the frame. Amy ran forward, her rifle still in a ready position as she scanned the left side of the open alleyway the gate opened up in to. Ben followed her and scanned the right side of the alley, ensuring it was clear. Stood in the shadows ahead of Ben was a man with his back to him.  
"He looks ill, his clothes are in an absolute state." Ben thought. The man was missing chunks of hair from his scalp and his clothes were stained with unknown blood, making parts of his shirt rigid.  
"Hey, you, are you okay?" Ben shouted, stepping forward slowly. As he finished shouting, the man lumbered slowly around and turned to face Ben. It was then that Ben knew that the man was ill. His face was ghostly pale, and his eyes were stained white with cataracts. His face was, sunken, if that was the word to describe it. His lips were coated with blood that flaked away with each movement of its hungry mouth. His arms were hung in front of it, it's hands opening and closing rapidly as it neared its meal.  
"What the hell are you?" Ben asked as he raised his Desert Eagle and pointed it at the monster. A loud gasp brought his attention to Amy as she stood behind him. Several bodies began to move on the floor, slowly rising to their feet around the woman. She raised her weapon shakily, her eyes filled with pure terror at what she was seeing. Ben didn't hesitate. He fired a round into the creature that was lumbering towards him, tearing through its ashen skull, sending blood spraying over the concrete floor. Amy stood staring at the creatures, frozen out of pure fear as they lumbered towards her, their fists opening and closing in anticipation.  
"Amy!!" Ben shouted. Amy blinked before raising her rifle and firing a round into the face of one of the creatures, sending it reeling backwards. She chambered another round in the weapon and fired again, taking down a second zombie. Then the third lunged at her. Ben didn't hesitate. He raised his weapon and fired a round into the monsters face, blowing it backwards onto the floor. Amy was breathing heavily, her hands trembling so much that she nearly dropped her rifle. Ben turned to look at her.  
"Are you okay Amy?" he asked. She turned to look at him, her eyes full of tears and terror.  
"I'll be fine..." she stuttered.  
"Come on, let's keep moving. If we can get somewhere safe, we can rest for a little while," Ben said, raising his hand and resting it on her shoulder. Amy blinked rapidly before nodding slowly. Ben smiled at her gently before turning and walking towards a nearby door. Lowering his hand, Ben raised his Desert Eagle and threw the door open as he made quick sweeping movements with his gun before stepping into the room. He surveyed his surroundings slowly as he checked the area. It looked like a bunkhouse but with more furniture, yet not quite big enough to be classed as a house. In the corner was a large bed set next to a window with a small table near the headrest. Ben turned to Amy and ushered her gently into the building before shutting the door.  
"Alright Amy, we should be safe here for a while, so you can get a little sleep," He told her. She lowered her rifle and walked slowly over to the bed, her steps a little disorientated. When she reached the bed, she lay her rifle down on the floor and collapsed onto the bed. Ben watched her for a little while before ejecting the clip from his weapon and loading a new one into it. He walked over to the bed and sat on the end, rubbing his eyes lightly, before dropping backwards and dropping off to sleep. 


	4. The Angel Returns

Fatal Cross part 4  
  
A rumble of thunder jerked Ben from his sleep. The rain fell heavily against the window set beside the bed, the glass dripped water onto the floor below. Ben sighed deeply before looking at Amy. She was still asleep, her arm dangling off the side of the bed and resting lightly on the butt of her rifle. A few stray strands of hair hung loosely on her face, held down by the cold sweat that drenched her forehead. Outside the sound of the undead monsters that had apparently overrun the city met Bens ears, and their moans at their apparent displeasure at the miserable weather. Ben shifted on the bed slightly and looked out of the window. A set of stairs ran up the side of the building leading to the roof three storeys above. In the alley below, an endless stream of zombies lumbered around searching for a new meal, their slow steps filled the air with light shuffling sounds, silenced only by the occasionally rumble of thunder. Ben yawned and lay back down, shutting his eyes slowly. A gunshot woke him suddenly and he sat up and scrambled to the window. In the alley a figure stood by a doorway with a handgun in their hand. Ben blinked before grabbing Amy's rifle and opening the window. Another shot sounded, this one louder than the last, and Ben recognised the weapon.  
"That's a Desert Eagle, I'd recognise them a mile away," Ben thought as he stepped out onto the stairwell. He raised the rifle to eye level and gazed through it. The figure fired another shot, illuminating his face. Ben nearly dropped the rifle at the sight he saw.  
"That was... No, it can't be, can it?" Ben thought. He blinked before looking back through the scope. The figure fired off the last five rounds in the weapons clip at a nearby group of zombies, spraying the wet walls with blood. As the empty clip clattered to the floor, the last four zombies surged forward towards their new target. Ben took aim at one of the monsters and squeezed the trigger. His shoulder jolted backwards as the round tore its way through the zombies head, the force of the bullet blowing its skull clean off of its shoulders. Ben cocked the hammer back and fired again, taking another zombie down. The figure stopped reloading the weapon and looked around for the source of the gunfire as another round tore its way through another zombie, its body slumping forward from the force. Ben slipped the last round into the chamber and squeezed the trigger. The last zombie fell to the ground as Ben lowered the rifle slowly. The figure waved to him before running over to the ladder below him and began clambering up it. Ben stepped back in through the window and reached into the back pocket of Amy's backpack and pulled out a handful of bullets for the rifle and slipped them into the weapon before reloading a bullet into the chamber. Lowering the rifle back to the floor next to Amy's hand he pulled out his Desert Eagle and turned back to the window. The echoing footsteps grew louder as Ben waited. The figure clambered slowly in through the window. Ben raised his gun slowly.  
"Who are you?" He asked. The figure casually stepped into the light. The sight nearly made Ben drop his gun.  
"Cl, Claire? Is that you? But how? I thought you were..."  
"Hi Ben. It's been a long time hasn't It?" the voice replied. Claire raised her head and looked at Ben. He stared at her, trying to accept what he was seeing. Claire stood in front of him, a few strands of her hair hanging over her face. The time had taken its toll on her, her shirt was littered with rips, several had blood around them where the cuts below them had been bleeding. Claires' hair now hung behind her in a long, matted ponytail which clearly hadn't been washed for a long time. Ben dropped his gun with a loud clatter and stepped forward. The two of them looked at each other before throwing their arms around each others necks and pulled themselves together into a tight embrace.  
"I don't believe this, I can't understand what happened. I, I thought you were gone," Ben said, choking slightly on the tears that had formed in his eyes.  
"Neither do I. After that incident I came looking for you. When I got back to the HQ yesterday, you had already left, so I checked the mission list. I saw that you had come here, so I followed you," Claire replied.  
"Hehehe, you could've at least had a shower though," Ben joked. Claire laughed.  
"You haven't changed, have you Ben," She asked.  
"Not since I lost you," Ben started. "I can never let you go, you mean too much to me."  
"I know, I feel the same way about you too," Claire answered before kissing him on the cheek. Ben smiled before looking at her.  
"You look like you could use some sleep," Ben told her. Claire nodded slightly before turning to look at Amy.  
"Looks like the bed's being used," Claire said.  
"Yeah. I guess we're gonna have to sleep on the sofa," Ben replied. Claire smiled.  
"Just like old times, right Ben?" she said with a smile. He nodded slightly.  
"This should bring back a lot of memories" Ben finished. The two of them walked over to the sofa and carefully lay down. Claire rolled over and stretched her arm across his chest.  
"Night Honey," Claire said as she closed her eyes slowly.  
"Night Babe," Ben replied before slipping off to sleep. 


	5. The Search Begins

Fatal Cross Part 5  
  
Ben slowly opened his eyes and rolled onto his side. He looked wearily around him, and sat up suddenly and fell off the sofa.  
"Oww, GodDamnit," He moaned. He stood up and looked around the room. Claire had disappeared. He stepped forward and felt his foot crunch against something. Ben looked down and moved his foot to the side. A letter was folded and held down by a piece of metal. Ben bent over and picked it up. He rubbed his thumb down the side of the empty magazine. Ben unfolded the piece of paper and read the lines of writing slowly.  
  
Dear Ben  
I'm sorry that I've left like this, but I have to follow up a lead immediately. We will meet again before this nightmare is over, but until then you can just follow these instructions to uncover the secret of this city. Go to the power station, I will leave you a message there.  
  
Love Claire  
  
Ben reread the letter several times in his head, trying to understand what Claire was saying. As he read it for the fourth time, Amy yawned and sat up on the edge of the bed, and looked lazily at Ben. He looked at her and smiled.  
"Are you OK now Amy?"  
"I think so, but I'll be fine once we get through this mess," Amy replied. Ben laughed.  
"We all will, but first we have to fight through it. And I promise you now, I will kill every single one of those monsters," Ben said, his voice filling with rage. Amy looked at him and smiled warmly.  
"What's that in your hand Ben?" Amy questioned, pointing to the letter in his hand. He looked at it before slowly handing it to her.  
"Read it," Ben told her. Amy looked down at the letter and began to read it. Her eyes grew wider as he read the ending.  
"Claire?!" She exclaimed. "Claire's alive?"  
"Yeah, I saved her last night from a bunch of zombies in that alley," Ben replied, pointing to the window behind Amy. She looked out of the window and saw the bodies of the zombies that littered the floor.  
"But how did you kill those things from up here?" Amy questioned.  
"I borrowed your rifle," Ben replied.  
"Oh, OK. But when did Claire leave?" Amy continued.  
"Sometime during the night. We fell asleep together on the sofa after the fight," Ben said, turning away as he talked. Amys' mouth fell open as he finished.  
"Just like old times then?" She said with a smile. Ben laughed.  
"That's exactly what she said," he finished. Ben sighed deeply before turning to look at Amy. "I think we should head to the police station to grab some new weapons and a map, then head over to the power station," he ordered.  
"Yes sir," Amy replied, picking up her rifle and throwing the strap over her shoulder.  
"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Ben questioned.  
"As ready as I'll ever be," Amy replied. She nodded at him and Ben smiled.  
"Let's do this," He said and walked over to the door. Lowering his hand to the handle, he slowly eased the door open. Ben stepped out into the street and checked that the coast was clear before signalling to Amy.  
"So which way do we go?" Amy questioned. Ben shrugged.  
"I guess we just go that way and look for a sign," He replied, pointing to his left. Amy nodded and brought her rifle to bear.  
"Let's go then," She said. Ben nodded and began to walk down the street. As they came out onto the main road, Amy turned to look at a nearby sign while Ben looked at a nearby barricade made of SWAT vehicles. He stared around at the bodies that littered the floor, trying to work out what had happened. Every single corpse was littered with bullet holes, their clothes covered in ragged holes. Yet the situation only grew more confusing. These people didn't look like they had turned into those zombie creatures, they were ordinary civilians. Ben shook his head and walked towards the barricade. Behind the vehicles was a line of slaughtered SWAT officers, their necks and torsos covered in bite marks. It looked like they had become something's' meal. The floor was stained with dried blood that had been partially washed away after the rain during the night, and the empty bullet cases lay everywhere. Amy turned to look at him, her gaze avoiding the gory scene that lay before her.  
"According to that sign, the police station is 2 miles in that direction," Amy pointed behind Ben.  
"Two miles? I reckon we'd be better off using one of these cars to cover the distance a lot quicker." Ben replied, walking over to one of the SWAT vans and opened the back doors.  
"Good idea, that way we can avoid any confrontations with hostile forces, and conserve our ammunition," Amy replied. Ben stepped back into view holding two MP5s and a box of clips for them.  
"Yeah, but I reckon we should stick with these for a little while," He said, handing one of the guns to Amy. She held her hand out and took the machine gun and a handful of clips. She pulled the hammer back on the gun and slipped one of the magazines into the weapon before slamming the hammer back into place. Ben turned to look at one of the cars.  
"Come on, I reckon we should take this one and get moving to the Police station." Amy nodded and walked over to the car. She lowered her hand to the door handle and pulled it open. Amy sat lowly down in the car, shutting the door behind her. Ben followed her and walked up to the rivers seat and pulled the door open slightly. He froze when he heard a shuffling noise behind him and turned to look at the barricade. The bodies of the police officers and the civilians were rising to their fee. Bens' jaw fell open at the event that was unfolding before him. He numbly reached for the MP5 that hung at his side and pulled the cocking hammer back, slowly raising the weapon to eye level. He used his thumb to slip the safety off, and lightly squeezed the trigger, sending a hail of bullets into the crowd of zombies. The projectiles hit their targets, spraying blood away from the wounds, staining the damp floor with crimson. Amy looked up at Ben, and then turned to face the wall of monsters that was approaching them. She froze to her seat, fear taking over her body. Ben glanced at her and pulled out his Cobra Storm rifle and loaded the javelin system.  
"Amy, get out of the way of the water!!" Ben shouted between two gunshots. She stared at him before numbly stumbling out of the car. She ran behind Ben and stood on a dry piece of metal that was lying on the road.  
"Cl, Clear!" She stuttered. Ben aimed the Javelin at the floor in front of the advancing army of zombies and fired the electric dart at its target. The piece of metal struck the floor transferring its electric chare into the water. The power crackled, electrocuting half of the monsters, blue arcs of electricity spiralling away into the air. The smell of rotten flesh almost overpowered Ben as he struggled to maintain his footing. The bodies of the electrocuted zombies stumbled slightly, then began to fall, the piles of bodies slowing the remaining creatures down as they struggled to reach their target. Amy raised her MP5 and began to spray the wall of zombies with bullets. Ben looked at her before unloading the clip in his Storm rifle into the creatures. Empty bullet cases began to pile up at their feet as bullet after bullet connected with the frail bodies of the monsters, spraying blood away from the impact points. Amy fired the last round in her clip, taking the final zombie down. It emitted an inhumane groan as it slumped to the floor. The two of them lowered their guns slowly, Ben took a deep breath and turned to Amy.  
"Come on, let's get to the police station," He said. She nodded slowly, dropping the empty magazine from her gun and slipped a new one in. As the two of them walked up to the car, a large, black object plummeted towards them and smashed into the roof of the vehicle, crushing it with an ear-splitting smash. Ben stood staring at the remains of the vehicle as the black shadow began to move. It rose to its' feet. Ben couldn't believe what he was seeing. The monster stood at least 8ft tall, its heavy arms as thick as tree trunks. Inside its' skull burned two, deep red eyes. The creature turned to look at them, and flicked the three spines that ran down its back at them. Amy began to slowly back away, her eyes unable to accept what she was seeing. Ben stepped in front of her and slipped a dart into the Javelin system, and began to fire at the creature. The bullets peppered the torso of the creature, spraying green blood onto the charred remains of the police cruiser, the last bullet cases from the magazine clattered to the floor. The monster roared, spreading mortal fear through Bens' body as he fumbled for a new clip, and slammed it into the gun. As he raised the weapon, Amy stepped out from behind him and began to fire her MP5 at the monster. Pointing his rifle at the monster, Ben slowly took aim, and fired the javelin round into the creatures' torso, the electricity lighting it up with a blue aura. The monster stumbled slightly before staring at Amy, and began to walk slowly towards her. Ben panicked slightly, and pulled out his wad of T-18 explosives and set the timer before looking to Amy.  
"Amy, get behind me!" he shouted to her.  
"Why, are you trying to protect me?" She replied  
"No, I wanna try something, now get behind me!" Ben shouted back. Amy stopped firing and stepped behind Ben. He started the countdown on the bomb and tackled her backwards, shielding her from the blast. The bomb landed in front of the creature and detonated, knocking it flying backwards into a telegraph pole. As the monster splintered the wood, several sparks flew as the pole began to fall downwards, hitting a fuel tanker. In seconds, the fuel inside the tanker exploded, sending shrapnel flying in every direction. Ben turned to look at the explosion and felt a chunk fly past his arm, cutting it clean open. He turned and looked at the wound, and raised his arm quickly to the cut, attempting to stop the bleeding. He checked Amy and found that the explosion had knocked her clean out. He tied to rise to his feet slowly, but felt himself slowly losing consciousness as the darkness consumed him.... 


	6. The Bomb

**Fatal Cross Part 6**

**15th July, 19.13 **

**Unknown location in Echo City**

Ben awoke to the dull flickering of a neon light on his face. He opened his eyes wearily and looked around. He had been picked up and carried to a Motel, and now lay on a dusty bed, a thin blanket covering him. Then a thought hit him.

_"Where's Amy?!"_ He sat up slightly and looked around. Lying on a nearby sofa, was Amy. Her head was propped up on a cushion and her legs covered with a blanket. As he got up slowly, Ben numbly felt his arm. The cut on his upper arm had been bandaged, the white material that covered the wound had large, red bloodstains on them. Slowly rubbing his eyes, Ben swung his legs over the edge of the bed and felt them land on something soft. He lifted them up quickly and looked over the side of the bed. Lying on the floor asleep under a quilt was Nikki. Her head was covered in cold sweat and her bulletproof vest had rips in, revealing the Kevlar metal beneath it. Ben stepped over her and knelt down beside her. He lowered his hand and gently shook her on the shoulder.

"Nikki, wake up," Ben said gently. Nikki mumbled slightly under her breath. Ben laughed quietly and swept a stray lock of hair out of her eyes. As Ben took his hands away, Nikkis' eyes leapt open, and her hand darted for her gun. She raised it quickly to Ben's temple and looked into his eyes.

"Whoa, easy Nikki, it's me, Ben," He said calmly. Nikki's eyes opened wider as she lowered the gun.

"Oh my God! I'm so sorry captain!" She said panickly.

"Don't worry about it," Ben started. "What are you doing here? And where's the rest of the team?"

"Well, Hawk's here with me, and I don't know where the others are, we split up to cover more ground, and I haven't made contact with them since so," Nikki replied, hanging her head slightly. Ben put his hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry about it, the situation is beyond what any of us could have expected,"

"Even you captain? I mean, you've fought these creatures before haven't you, so surely you knew what we'd be up against?" Nikki questioned. Ben sighed.

"Yeah, I've fought those things before, but that makes no difference. No matter how much you prepare yourself, you'll never be ready for a nightmare like this. Training can't prepare you for what you're gonna see before this ends," Ben replied. Nikki lowered her head and looked at her gun.

"I know, it's incomprehensible. I mean, both you and Amy went down out there, anything could have happened to you if me and Jason hadn't found you..." Nikki trailed off as Amy yawned. She sat up slowly and looked at Ben and Nikki.

"Nikki, what are you doing here?" She asked, rising to her feet groggily and walking over. Nikki smiled and hugged her.

"Well, the team split up, and me and Jase ended up near the police station, or at least what's left of the police station..." Nikki started. As she talked, the door to the room opened slowly and Jason walked slowly into the room.

"Captain, your okay!" he said. He walked slowly over to him and the two of them locked hands gruffly.

"Naturally," Ben started. "It would seem that this mission is full of surprises,"

"What do you mean?" Nikki asked.

"Well, first of all let me fill you in on what's happened," Ben began, lowering his hand to a pocket in his vest. He carefully pulled out Claire's letter and handed it to Nikki. "Claire is still alive, I've seen her,"

"What?! Jason started.

"It's true," Amy cut in. "She spent the night on the sofa with Ben, but left to follow a lead during the night." Nikki gave a quiet laugh.

"Yeah, I know, 'Just like old times', right?" Ben cut in.

"How did you know that I was gonna say that?!" Nikki Exclaimed.

"Because everyone I've told about me and Claire sleeping on the sofa has said that, so..." Ben trailed off.

"Then what's Claire doing here, of all places?" Jason questioned.

"She said that she came here looking for us. She got to the HQ and found it empty, so she traced the mission and ended up her," Ben replied.

"Wow, she must have been through a lot," Jason continued.

"Yeah, she looked an absolute state. I'm guessing that after Couwenbatos she got out and came looking for us. She's still wearing her old uniform, minus the armour as you can see," Ben told them as he tapped the metal vest on his chest.

"I guess she's been too busy looking for you to worry about her looks," Jason put in. Ben sighed.

"Yeah, I guess. But I'm still confused, how did she survive?" Ben questioned.

"Are you meaning to say you wish she hadn't survived now?" Nikki asked, her voice rising slightly.

"Of course not!! How dare you make that assumption!" Ben shouted back. Nikki jumped back a step, her eyes filling with tears slowly as she looked at him.

"I'm... I'm sorry," Nikki mumbled before running out the room into the corridor. Ben cursed under his breath. He reached over to the bedside table and picked up his Desert Eagle.

"Wait here, I'm gonna go see if Nikki's okay, and I owe her an apology,"

"Okay, if you need any help, just give us a call," Jason said. Ben nodded and walked out into the corridor and took a deep breath. He stopped and listened carefully, and heard the soft sound of Nikki crying. He stepped to his left, checking that his Desert Eagle was loaded. He approached a turn and peered cautiously around the corner and saw Nikki on her knees, her back resting against the wall. Then he heard footsteps. Heavy, deliberate footsteps, and the frame of an 8ft creature stepped briefly into the light, and Ben recognised it. The creature had its small, red eyes fixed on Nikki, her small frame shifting slightly as she wept. The monster took another step towards her and came into arms length of the girl.

"NIKKI!!! MOVE!!" Ben shouted as he rounded the corner, his Desert Eagle pointed at the monstrosity that stood behind her. She looked up at him, tears rolling freely down her cheeks. The creature raised one of its great fists and prepared to swing it at Nikki. Ben ran forward, firing a round at the monsters balled hand, the bullet ripping into its flesh and spraying blood onto the floor. It pulled its head back and let out a deafening roar at the pain. Nikki stumbled backwards and crawled on her knees to Ben, her eyes filled with an unspeakable fear.

"Nikki, get back and tell the others, GO NOW!!" He ordered. She nodded her head, scrambled to her feet and ran down the corridor. Ben turned back to the creature as it began to advance towards him, its fist dripping blood unevenly onto the floor. Ben span the Desert Eagle on his finger and stepped backwards slightly.

"Ben!!" Jason shouted as he ran up to him.

"Hold your fire until I say so!" Ben shouted back. Jason nodded, and Ben ran at the creature. It raised its fist and swung it down at him. Ben slipped to the side and the creature swung sideways at him. Ben jumped and kicked off the wall, flipping over the creature and emptying the clip into its head. He landed on the floor behind the monster and ejected the empty clip, allowing it to clatter to the floor. The creature swayed on the spot slightly before falling face first onto the floor, a large pool of blood forming around its head. Jason, Nikki and Amy walked into view, stepping over the fallen monster, each one with a look of disgust on their faces.

"Ben, how did you do that?" Jason asked.

"Do what?" Ben replied, slipping the new clip into his gun.

"That somersault thing over that creatures head?" Jason continued.

"I'd like to know that as well," Nikki added.

"I dunno, I just did it, I suppose," Ben replied as he turned to face the group.

"Well at least that thing won't be getting up in a hurry," Amy said, with a clear note of disgust in her voice.

"Yeah. Jase, you said that you've been to the police station, right? What kind of condition is it in?" Ben continued.

"It was completely demolished, from the foundations up," Jason replied.

"What?! But how?" Amy put in.

"I have no idea. I'm guessing someone blew it up to stop someone finding something..." Jason said.

"But who and why?" Nikki asked.

"That can be anyone's guess, but right now I'm more worried about finding the power station so I can catch up with Claire," Ben finished.

"Okay. Well I managed to find a map, if that's of any use," Nikki added as she reached into her pocket.

"You did? That's brilliant news!" Ben started. "And I'm really sorry I yelled at you earlier, I don't know what came over me..." Ben apologised.

"It's okay, it's my fault for assuming what I did," Nikki replied.

"So we forgive each other?" Ben asked

"Yeah, we do," Nikki said as she nodded her head. Ben smiled and pulled Nikki into a rough embrace.

"Right now it's too risky to fall out with any team members, it could prove fatal," Ben replied quietly.

"Ben, why would Claire want to go to the power station in the first place?" Jason questioned.

"There's only one way to find out the answer to that," Ben started as he released Nikki from his embrace. "And that is to go there..."

"Yeah, we can look for the others on the way as well," Amy added. Nikki nodded.

"And we can use it as a rendezvous point if we can radio everyone and tell them where it is," she said

"Then what are we waiting for?" Jason questioned as he turned and walked back to their room. Ben and the others followed him, stepping through the door one at a time, and shutting the door behind them. Jason walked to the end of the bed and opened a small chest that lay there. He picked up the two MP5s and threw them to Ben and Amy.

"Here, these are yours," Jason said as they caught the weapons. As he finished Nikki walked over to the wardrobe that was set into the wall near the door. She reached in and pulled out Amy's' Sporter rifle and Bens' STORM rifle. She reached out and handed the weapons to each of them.

"Thanks," Ben started. "But where's my bag?"

"Here," Amy said as she picked up the small black backpack from beside the bed and handed it to him.

"Thanks," He replied as he threw the bag onto his shoulders, the metal clips rattling against each other as the fabric hit his back. "Nikki, where is the power station from here?" He continued as he slid his STORM rifle into his backpack.

"Umm, it's near 1st park, somewhere to the east of here," the woman replied as she pulled the map open and looked down at it.

"Right, it looks like that's our current destination. If we can get there, we can then navigate our way to the power station. The only thing I'm worried about is that there will probably be a lot of zombies there," Ben said as he holstered his Desert Eagle and raised his MP5.

"Lets get going, we can find that out when we get there," Jason finished as he slipped his SR-16 off of his shoulder. Ben nodded and walked to the door and gently pulled it open, the hinges creaking slightly as he stepped out into the hallway. As he looked from side to side, he stopped, his gaze fixed on the large, forbidding frame of the Tyrant.

"Shit!" Ben exclaimed as he ducked back into the room quickly and slammed the door. He turned and walked over to the window and looked out into the street below.

"What is it Ben?" Amy asked quickly as she watched her captain open the window.

"That thing's still alive, you guys are gonna have to jump out the here" Ben said as he motioned to the open window. Nikki shook her head slowly.

"Are you serious?!" She exclaimed quickly. Ben nodded.

"Yes I am, and you've got to go now! Jase, chuck me some T-5," He ordered. Jason pulled a pouch off of his belt and threw it to his captain before he stepped over to the window.

"Come on guys, lets get moving," Jason said as he stepped out onto the windowsill and looked down.

"Hurry," Ben said quickly as the monsters steps became audible, the slow thumping noise reverberating through the hallway. See you at 1st park," Jason said as he jumped out of the window, his body disappearing from view.

"You two go," Ben said firmly as he stared at the door, his eyes transfixed on the wood in front of him.

"What are you going to do Ben?" Amy asked. Ben didn't turn to answer her.

"You'll see in a minute, just get out of that window, I'll meet you at the park," Ben said firmly. Amy nodded and walked to the window,

"Take care. We'll meet you at the park," She finished as she jumped out of the window. Nikki stared at the back of Bens' head briefly before she walked over to the window.

"I'll see you at the park captain," She said simply before she jumped out of the window and disappeared from view. Ben took a deep breath and blew it out slowly before he turned and shut the window quickly, and turned around as the monster smashed through the door, the wood splintering under the force.

"Hello," Ben said sarcastically. The creature stared at him with its small, red eyes.

"You forgot to knock!" Ben shouted as he threw the wad of explosives at the Tyrant he raised his MP5 and aimed at the bomb, and squeezed the trigger, the bullets hitting the pouch, and triggering the explosives. Ben twisted on his foot, and leapt out of the window head first as the bomb detonated behind him.


	7. Path To the Power Station

**Fatal Cross part 7**

**15th July, 19.36**

**Unknown location near 1st Park**

The glass shattered around Ben as he leapt through the window, his MP5 still held tightly in his right hand. As his torso cleared the window, the bomb detonated, engulfing the room in a ball of fire, the flames licking against his body as he fell clear of the building.

'_Gotta bring my legs around...' _Ben thought as he began to plummet to the floor. He pulled his head in and his feet swung around him as his body somersaulted in the air. Ben felt himself hit the floor and stumbled backwards at the force, the nerves in his legs tingling. He struggled to his feet as debris began to fall from the now burning room, the fire like a beacon to any survivors in the city as the smoke began to rise into the dark sky. Ben sprinted for cover as chunks of burning wood began to hit the floor around him, hot ash flying into his face from the impacts. As he neared the park, a tree loomed into view before him. Ben ran and dived behind the trunk, his body slamming against the hard floor. He looked out into the street as the debris continued to fall. As Ben stared out, he saw the body of the monster he had fought hit the ground with bone shattering force. Ben gaped in awe at it.

'_Oh my god! That explosion should have tore that thing in half!'_ As he went to check the monster, it moved slightly, before it rose to its feet very slowly. Ben froze and stared at it, unable to believe what he was seeing. The creature looked around briefly, before it brought its head back and let out a deafening roar. The spines on its back arced outwards as it began to mutate. The bullet wounds in its torso and head slowly began to close and its arms bulked outwards, the muscles almost doubling in size. It stopped moving briefly before lowering its head and began to sniff the air around him, before it stopped and sprinted off into the shadows. Propping himself against the tree trunk, Ben slowly rose to his feet.

'_What IS that thing!?!' _He thought before staring down at his MP5. '_It's like nothing can stop it, not even guns. So how the HELL am I meant to destroy it?' _Ben shook his head. '_There will be time to worry about that later, right now I had better go meet the others,'_ He turned and walked towards the road and looked to his left. '_I just hope I'm not late,' _He finished thinking before he began to jog down the road. As he turned the corner that led to the park, he heard an outburst of gunfire. Ben looked to his right and saw the flash of a gun barrel as the gunshots continued. He stopped and climbed up the fence on his right and leapt down into the park, his feet landing softly on the grass. He looked in the direction of the gunfire and began to jog toward it. As he broke through a bush he ground to a halt as he saw what was in front of him.

Amy, Nikki and Jason were stood in a triangle, surrounded by an army of zombies, their lumbering bodies closing in on them slowly. A burst of gunfire dragged Ben back to reality and he slowly raised his MP5 and squeezed the trigger, sending a hail of bullets into the backs of the creatures in front of him. Amy looked up and saw the flash of gunfire illuminate Bens face and laughed.

"Hey, Ben's here! I told you he made it!" She shouted over the gunfire. Jason looked at him and nodded.

"Now we stand a better chance! Nikki, drop back and see if you can radio the others!" Jason ordered.

"Yes sir!" Nikki replied. She lowered her gun and pulled a radio out of her back pocket. Jason turned to Ben.

"Hey, Ben! Get over here!" He shouted. Ben nodded and pulled out his STORM rifle from his backpack and charged the Javelin system. He raised it to eye level and fired the dart at the monsters. The charged electricity bolt ripped through the crowd, transferring its charge to each monster it hit, knocking them down. The bolt eventually came to a stop when it embedded itself in a tree, emitting a blue aura into the air. Ben ran through the path to the group of people as the smell of charred flesh greeted his nostrils. He pulled a second dart from his bag and slipped it into his gun.

"You called?" Ben asked.

"Yeah. It turns out there are more of those creatures here than we anticipated," Jason replied.

"I can see that," Ben replied sarcastically

"Christina, is that you?" Nikki said in the background.

"As you can see, Nikki is calling in some help," Jason continued.

"Good, until then we had better hold these things off," Ben finished as he rose his rifle quickly and fired a hail of bullets into a crowd of zombies that was approaching them. As he turned to fire at one of the creatures that was walking towards Nikki, a bullet tore its way through its skull, spraying gore over her small form.

"Looks like Christina is backing us up at least," Ben said before Nikki could say anything. He looked to Amy as she fired off a round from her rifle, the empty bullet shell joining a small mountain that was forming at her feet.

"Have you used all your MP5 rounds up Amy?" He asked as he walked over to join her.

"Yes sir," Amy replied as she fired another shot, her hand chambering another round in the weapon.

"Then take these," Ben replied as he pulled two clips out of his pocket and handed them to her.

"Are you sure sir?" Amy asked.

"Yeah, you forget I've got enough guns as it is," Ben replied. Amy smiled and nodded slightly before holding her hand out and taking the narrow strips of metal.

"Thanks, at least now I'm not fighting with a single shot weapon," Amy finished as she slipped one of the clips into the MP5 that hung at her shoulder before cocking the weapon and raising it to eye level. Ben turned away and fired a single bullet into the skull of an approaching zombie, blood spraying away from the wound. He pulled the empty clip out of the gun and dropped it onto the floor, the metal hitting a pile of bullet cases that had formed around him. A monster lunged for him as he pulled a fresh magazine out of a pocket in his bag, its arm stretched out in front of it, groping for fresh flesh. Ben looked at it and smashed the butt of his gun hard into its skull, the bone giving way under the impact of the weapon. He pulled his hand back, his fingers covered in slime. He heaved and began to rub his hand frantically on his trousers.

"What's wrong with you?" Nikki asked between two gunshots.

"I got brains all over my hand," Ben replied in disgust as he continued to rub his hand on his trousers. Nikki laughed as she continued to fire bullets at the approaching creatures. Ben gave her an evil look before turning and counting the remaining zombies.

'_Only eight of those things left. This shouldn't be too hard,' _Ben thought as he fired three rounds in to a zombies torso. The creature stumbled backwards and fell onto the floor, blood slowly seeping out of the bullet holes. Jason raised his rifle and cut three of the creatures in two, crimson flying away from the bullet impacts as their torsos' hit the floor. Ben looked at the last four zombies and turned to look at the others.

"Cut and run!!" He shouted. Jason looked at Ben and nodded. He lowered his rifle and turned to look at Nikki.

"Nikki, tell Christina to clean up here, were going to the power station now before any more of those things turn up." Nikki nodded and pulled the radio out of her pocket.

"Thunder, this is Flash. Were pulling out, can you clean up here over," Nikki said.

"Of course I can. You lot watch yourselves out there. Over and Out." The voice crackled over the radio. Ben lowered his gun and looked to Amy.

"Amy, leave the rest to Christina, we gotta get moving," He shouted to her. She lowered her MP5 and nodded.

"Let's go!!" Jason ordered. Ben turned to Nikki.

"Which direction is the power station?" He asked her.

"To the west," She replied as she slipped the radio back into her pocket. Ben nodded and began to jog to the power station, with Jason and the others following him.

The last four zombies turned and began to lumber after the survivors as they ran into the darkness. They didn't hear the bullets ripping through the air towards them until the metal tore through their frail bodies, spraying blood into the air as the corpses fell to the floor, joining their fallen comrades.


End file.
